


five flowers for your heart (one song for mine)

by Anonymous



Series: flowers for you [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Also drama, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Non-Idol, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Language of Flowers, M/M, Misunderstandings, Romance, but it's mild angst, let's just say it's the type of angst that comes with misunderstandings, uh... some angst happen first tho??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-18 21:43:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8177077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Jeno is terribly upset when he finds out Jaemin has a crush on one of his older hyungs. Jaemin doesn't get why Jeno stopped talking to him and is now avoiding him, but he is determined to get to the bottom of it. Luckily, Donghyuck & co. are there to help.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [NCTprompts_III](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/NCTprompts_III) collection. 



> I really liked the prompt so this happened *sheepish laugh*
> 
> On a side note, this isn't beta-read ;u; so sorry for grammatical errors ;u;

It happens slowly that Jaemin almost doesn't notice it. _Almost._

Jeno is gradually drifting away from him, and he won't tell the brunet why. Heck, he won't even _talk_ to him, much less approach him. Which is just ridiculous since the older always told him if he had a problem or something. Jaemin is _always_ the first to know.

... Unless _he's_ the problem. But that can't be it, right? He can't remember doing anything bad to the raven, so it must be something else.

_But what is it!? What's got him so upset that he avoids me like I'm the plague?? Instead of talking to me and asking for my help?? What-_

Jaemin's train of thoughts get interrupted by a tray of food slamming down on the table in front of him. Following the arm of the tray's owner, the brunet is met with an impish smile. It's Donghyuck, and over the older boy's shoulder he could see Mark approaching the table with Renjun, Jisung, and Chenle.

"You've been staring intently at your lunch for the last God-knows-how-many minutes, it's starting to get a little disturbing." Donghyuck says by way of greeting. "Are you going to eat? Because if not, you'd better just give them up. Don't want to waste heavenly food."

Jaemin frowns, slapping the other's slowly inching hands away from his lunch. "You have your own. Go steal someone else's." He ignores Donghyuck's pout, instead turning to Mark who had just arrived with the other three, and asks, "He isn't coming, is he?"

Mark shakes his head. "He said he had extra piano practice with Jaehyun hyung."

"Oh..." Jaemin's frown deepens as Jisung sighs and Donghyuck mumbles _again? That's the fourth time this week..._

"Well, the music department does have a concerto every December, which is two months from now." Renjun reasons when a moment of silence passes by their table. He takes a bite of his Caesar wrap, chewing and then swallowing, before he continues in his usual positive tone. "Don't think too much about it, Nana. I'm sure he'll talk to you after concerto preparations are done!"

Unconvinced, the brunet argues. "Isn't Lele part of the music department?"

Hearing his name, the younger boy lifts his gaze from his phone, throwing Jaemin a curious look, before turning to Renjun. "Jaeminie is asking why you're not as busy as his beloved Jeno." The boy says in Chinese, to which Chenle replies, "Kun ge says we have the rest of the week off since we did well in our previous practices."

All eyes turned expectantly to Renjun.

"Chenle says Kun hyung gave them a week off because they did great at practice."

They glance nervously at Jaemin, who is now pushing some food around his plate. If they were in an animé, this would be one of those moments where the character gets surrounded by a dark aura.

"Ahaha... Now let's not jump into conclusions! I'm sure Jeno isn't avoiding you. He's just... really busy. Yeah... He's just busy!" Mark laughs awkwardly, reaching out to pat Jaemin's shoulder. Sensing what the eldest is trying to do, which was to lift up the slowly dampening mood, the rest also join in.

"Hyung's right. You know how much of a perfectionist Jeno-ah is."

"Yeah, that bookworm won't settle for anything average, even more when it's a live performance."

They say other random things, the conversation eventually veering away from the topic of Jeno to something more nonsensical. It's at times like these that Jaemin appreciates his friends the most - sure, they could be quite a handful, and a bit stupid at times... and insane... but when one needs a shoulder to lean on, they do their best to help.

Jaemin finds himself smiling at his friends' antics now happening at their table - Donghyuck with fries held up to his canines, ketchup dripping at the other end of said fries, pretending to be a vampire; Mark brandishing his metal spoon as a makeshift sword; Renjun throwing bits of his burnt onion rings at the 'vampire', and the two youngest making themselves look smaller since their hyungs are clearly out to embarrass them - despite the foreboding feeling at the pit of his stomach.

Jeno is upset because of _something_. And Jaemin is going to get to the bottom of it.

 

/

 

Jeno isn't really avoiding Jaemin. He's just... conveniently busy. Yes, that's right. _Conveniently busy_. What with concerto preparations and all. He needs to practice all of his solos and duets during his free time. He has to, if he wants his stages to be perfect.

So no.

He is _not_ avoiding the pretty brunet.

And he is not, _most definitely not_ , upset with said brunet.

...

Oh, who is he kidding.

Jeno blames Donghyuck for this (which is a feat considering he rarely blames anyone). If it wasn't for the younger, he wouldn't be even doing this - this avoiding and stuff. He really misses Jaemin but he can't face the other. Not now, at least. If only he could un-hear that conversation from two weeks ago...

 

_Classes were done for the day, but they decided to stay for a few minutes more to wait for Mark, who needed to discuss a few things with his radio club peers. However, waiting became boring quickly, and since they had nothing better to do, cleaning their classroom (which wasn't really dirty, thank God for their classmates) suddenly became a very good idea._

_But even cleaning a big classroom can bore someone to death after a while._

_"Ahh! I'm so booooored. What's taking him so long?" Donghyuck whines, sitting down on the floor with his back against the wall - the other three following suit, with Jaemin sitting down beside him, and Jeno and Renjun choosing to sit in front of them. "I swear Mark hyung is like a turtle."_

_"Turtles are cute though." Jaemin mumbles mindlessly, staring off into the opposite wall. Donghyuck turns to him, pouting. "Not snapping turtles. Those things can bite your fingers off."_

_"I'm sure you wouldn't mind Mark hyung biting your fingers off." This statement makes Jeno and Renjun laugh, Jaemin smirking at a flabbergasted Donghyuck. The tanner male opens and closes his mouth like a fish, before aiming a glare at all three of them. "Haha, very funny you guys. Just because you know I have a crush on that idiot doesn't mean you can make fun of me. You can make fun of him though."_

_"Sorry... Hyuckie..." Renjun says in between giggles. "But you have to admit, Jaeminie is right."_

_Donghyuck narrows his eyes as the three once again go into a fit of laughter. He wracks his brain for something to retaliate, grinning mischievously when an idea comes to him._

_"So Nana... I heard that you have a crush on someone?" He asks once the laughter finally dies down, giving Jaemin a smug look when the younger looks at him, surprised and a little nervous._

_"Ehh? Who told you that?"_

_"Sorry, but it's confidential." Contrary to what he says though, Donghyuck leans closer to Jaemin and whispers, "It's Renjun."_

_Jaemin sends the aforementioned boy a betrayed look, to which Renjun gives him a sheepish smile, "They lured me with a promise of buying me Moomin merch at the next comic con. I couldn't resist."_

_It's the brunet's turn to narrow his eyes, staring suspiciously at the other three. "Who do you mean by 'they'?"_

_Renjun giggles. "Secret!~ Well, it's quite obvious on who knows and who doesn't, you just need to figure it out."_

_When Jaemin opens his mouth to inquire more, Donghyuck cuts in. "Don't worry, he only told us you have a crush, not who that crush is." Grabbing the younger's shoulders, he says solemnly, "Now tell us so we can help your sorry love life."_

_"... No."_

_"Come oooooon. We're just dying to know!"_

_"Yeah, Jaeminie, don't be a chicken!" Jeno joins in, but deep down he's actually nervous. And a little curious._ Nana's never mentioned anything about a crush before... I wonder who it is...

_The youngest of the four chews on his bottom lip, unsure. Should he tell them? It's only a crush but... He throws Jeno a fleeting look full of warring emotions (which the raven doesn't notice, being too lost in his own world) before sighing and muttering, "I... It's... Yuta hyung..."_

_Jeno turns his head from staring at the window to look at Jaemin, surprised (and a little hurt to be honest)._ Yuta hyung? He has a crush on Yuta hyung? Of all people?

_Donghyuck seems to share Jeno's shock, while Renjun frowns and shakes his head slowly (as if he knows something, as if he knows Jaemin is lying, but Jeno again doesn't notice). "Yuta hyung, huh? Well that's... surprising."_

_"Are you planning on confessing?" The raven hears Renjun ask before he zones out of the conversation._

_Jeno doesn't notice Mark arriving five minutes later with their seniors, Johnny and Doyoung. Nor does he notice Donghyuck roasting the aforementioned male - Mark frowns at this, exasperated, but says nothing; Johnny, Doyoung, and Renjun laugh at whatever Donghyuck is saying; Jaemin laughs too, but not as much as the other three. He glances at Jeno worriedly when the latter just stands there, as if physically present but mentally absent... Which is true._

_Jeno is too busy swimming in his own thoughts to join them._

Nana likes Yuta hyung. Not me. Nana likes Yuta hyung, Nana _likes_ Yuta hyung. Nana likes _Yuta_ hyung. _Not_ me. So maybe... maybe he really did reject me that time.

_The taste of jealousy in his mouth is bitter. And he hated it._

___ _

"-ah! Jeno! Yah!" Jeno blinks, snapping into attention as Jaehyun waves a hand in front of his face. He gently slaps said hand away, smiling apologetically when the older male looks at him worriedly. "Sorry for spacing out, hyung. It won't happen again."

From behind the brunet, Taeyong approaches - his lips curved down in a small frown. "You've been spacing out a lot lately. Are you sure you don't want to take a break?" He ruffles Jeno's hair. "It's okay to take breaks every once in a while, you know. The concerto isn't until December, which is two months from now."

Jeno's smile falls slightly as he turns his gaze away from his two hyungs. He stares at the piano keys in front of him, as if the ivory whites and onyx blacks were the most fascinating things in the world. "I know, hyung. But I still need to work on a few arrangements..."

Jaehyun opens his mouth to argue, but Taeyong shushes him. When Jaehyun gives him an incredulous look, the platinum blond rolls his eyes. _Just let me handle this_. The younger of the two huffs, but says nothing, opting to step back and cross his arms over his chest.

Taeyong gives Jaehyun a flat look before turning back to the raven haired pianist. He sits down beside Jeno, flashing a small, reassuring smile when the latter glances at him curiously. "Jeno-ah, I may not be very knowledgeable about note arrangements like you and Jae... but trust me when I say your current pieces sound really great."

Jeno's eyes widen in surprise. His cheeks are dusted with pink when he shrugs, muttering a small "thanks hyung" as a reply. Taeyong ruffles his hair again. _So cute_. "Now that that's settled, what do you say about joining us for lunch?"

"And then the arcades later with Sicheng and Kun?" He adds when he makes eye contact with Jaehyun. "You don't have any classes after this right?"

The youngest of the three shakes his head, "no, I don't", all the while chewing on his bottom lip as he thinks about the offer.

He's been wanting to take a break for a while now - there's been a lot on his mind recently (read: Jaemin's crush, and Jaemin's crush being Yuta) that he can't focus on _really_ practicing; all he's making is noise, not music. The arrangements he did aren't really that great, contrary to what Taeyong hyung says (even though it felt good hearing other people praise his work... For him it's only half as great as they believe). All he really needed was a push, and this was it.

Maybe this would prove to be a great (although temporary) distraction.

Making up his mind, Jeno nods his head, a smile adorning his face. "Can I choose where we get to eat?"

Chuckling, Jaehyun answers, "Of course. Pick any place you want, even somewhere expensive. Taeyong hyung's paying." He ignores the platinum blond's glare in favor of helping the raven pack up his music sheets.

"I think that's about all of them. Let's go?" Jaehyun prompts after a few minutes, handing Jeno the last few sheets of paper, which the younger then places inside a folder. He slips the folder full of music sheets inside his bag as he follows Taeyong to the door.

The brunet does one last sweep of the room. Deeming that nothing is out of place, Jaehyun locks the door. He catches up with Taeyong and Jeno near the staircase, and together the three of them head out of the school and onto the streets to Itaewon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jaemin has a crush on Yuta? Jeno got rejected by Jaemin before? Another fic of mine with Pianist!Jeno??
> 
> The first two questions will be answered in the next few parts. As for pianist!Jeno... well, I really like the concept so... Yeah XD expect more pianist!Jeno (as well as the other members as musicians) from me in the future :3
> 
> \----------
> 
> Twitter: @KookiePolicy  
> AFF: NightBreeze
> 
> Thanks for reading!! ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un-beta-read so there's probably a lot of errors. Will probably edit later... probably...

 

Jaemin has been patient. And by patient, he means  _really_ patient.

But this is really testing him.

It's been a month. A month since he and Jeno last talked. A month since they stood face to face.

And he still hasn't even the  _slightest_ idea as to why Jeno is avoiding him.

_This is starting to get on my nerves_.

The brunet growls, ripping the packet of chips open before proceeding to stuff his face with said chips. "I'm getting annoyed." Jaemin says around a mouthful. "It's been a month and two days and Jeno  _still_  won't talk to me, much less  _look_  in my direction!"

Donghyuck, who is sitting beside him, looks at him in disgust. " _I'm_  about to be annoyed if you keep talking with your mouth full." Standing up, he moves around the table to sit next to a confused looking Chenle. He gives Jaemin a sneer, "Didn't you ever learn table manners? Maybe that's why he's avoiding you. You lack proper manners."

Hearing this, the brunet narrows his eyes. He glares at Donghyuck, muttering something under his breath that's probably a little mean because the tanner male frowns a little before scoffing as if to mask the hurt he felt.

Silence envelops their table.

 

/

 

From the other side of the cafeteria...

Mark hears Jisung sigh heavily beside him, so he turns to the younger boy curiously. The blond, noticing Mark's stare, just sighs again and shakes his head. He picks up a salad bowl and a slice of red velvet cake before paying for his food and storming over to their table.

"What's wrong with Jisungie?" Renjun asks, momentarily looking up from the selection of food in front of him to spare the youngest a worried look. Mark shrugs, "I don't know."

The Chinese boy frowns but says nothing else.

 

/

 

"This is about Jeno hyung again, isn't it." A voice suddenly says from behind the three, making them jolt slightly in surprise.

"Jisung! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Donghyuck exclaims when he looks at the voice's direction, hand clutching his chest dramatically. The younger ignores him, staring pointedly at a slowly calming down Jaemin. He slams the tray he's holding down on the table, effectively making the three jump in their seats again.

"Jesus, Jisung! Quit doing that!"

The boy ignores them again in favor of snatching the packet of chips from Jaemin's unsuspecting hands, replacing them with the salad bowl he got. He also places the cake slice in front of Donghyuck. The two gape at him.

Jisung sighs heavily (he's been doing that a lot lately) before explaining, "You've been eating junk food for the last few days, Jaemin hyung. It's unhealthy. I don't care if it's stress eating, it's still unhealthy and you'll probably get UTI so I'm confiscating all of your chips. As for you, Donghyuck hyung-" A sigh, "Jaeminie hyung didn't mean whatever he said. And even if he did, it's your fault so don't sulk when it's your doing in the first place. I gave you a cake to cheer you up."

"... Wow, Sungie, just- wow." The tanner male claps slowly, eyes wide. Chenle mimics him, only understanding some parts of what Jisung said. Jaemin just opens and closes his mouth like a fish.

This is the scene Mark and Renjun arrive to, further confusing the two males seemingly out of the loop. "Okay... Something is definitely happening. What's happening?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Jaemin says, still a bit shocked at what the youngest said. Upon seeing the incredulous look the two are giving them, Donghyuck explains, "Jisungie just made a very good lecture."

"I'm not done though." Jisung pipes up, capping the water bottle he just finished drinking from. His hyungs turn to him, but he only fixes his gaze at Jaemin. "Hyung, why don't you just be a man and confront Jeno hyung head on?"

His question is momentarily met by silence, the male sitting across from him not getting the gist of it. Jaemin answers him with a dumb, "... What?"

For the nth time that day, Jisung sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose in slowly building annoyance (and probably stress-induced migraine). "I'm just saying. We've already established the fact that Jeno hyung  _is_ avoiding you, so why delay the confrontation?" Jaemin opens his mouth to speak, but the blond cuts him off, "Unless you don't want hyung to talk to you for a long time? Because from the looks of it, he won't be taking the first move."

Jaemin frowns, "You make it sound so easy."

"Because it is. You're the only one making it seem so difficult, hyung."

 

/

 

Okay, so maybe Jisung had a point. A month is a long time. He should have realized that nothing would happen if he didn't do anything.

But cornering Jeno is really hard.

Like, it was hard before when he wasn't really trying to confront the raven (back when he was trying to give him space when he thought he did something wrong), now it was like Jeno was hellbent on avoiding him.

When he waited for Jeno by the school gate the next morning, occasionally greeting some of their classmates, the raven had somehow walked pass without him noticing.

Whenever he enters a room, Jeno would already be leaving, and when he tries to follow him, he loses the older in the swarm of students in the halls.

Jaemin prays Jeno would somehow get lost and wander around, near where he currently was preferably, staring out through the large windows.  _Pfft. Fat chance, Jaemin_. He laughs at his pitiful self, surveying the grounds and hoping his target would show up.

He stands idly for a few minutes, hands splayed on the glass as he leans lightly for a better look down below and-- there! A mop of black hair! An armful of music notes! Jeno!

Jaemin runs full speed through the silent halls, down the stairs, and out to the courtyard. He reaches the other male in record time, clamping a hand around Jeno's elbow before forcefully turning him around.

"Why are you avoiding me?" He asks, and it takes a moment for Jeno to reply in his surprised state. After recovering from his shock, Jeno frowns.

"I'm not avoiding you! I'm just busy, can't you see?" He gestures to his arms, where stacks upon stacks of music notes are being held.

Jaemin scoffs.

"Pfft. Liar. Why is it that you're the  _only_ busy Music student, huh? Not even Jaehyun hyung or Kun hyung are as busy as you, and they're the event organizers." When Jeno doesn't answer, he continues. "What you're saying sounds more and more like an excuse. Can't you think of a more believable alibi?"

Jeno glares at him but says nothing, making the brunet laugh bitterly, "What? Got nothing to say?"

The older opens his mouth to answer but stops. He closes his mouth and takes slow, deep breaths. "... Fine... Fine! You caught me." He says, smiling mockingly at Jaemin. "I  _am_  avoiding you. Now that you have your answer, I'd like you to let go of my arm."

Jaemin's gaze hardens, and his hold tightens instead of letting go like what the other requested. "I asked  _why_  you're avoiding me, not if you  _are_. I already knew you were! So  _why_?"

"... Well!?" Jaemin almost yells out after a minute of silent staring, frustration evident in his voice. And it's like a catalyst to a chemical reaction because Jeno exclaims, "... I like you, okay!?"

His sudden outburst and confession surprises Jaemin, the brunet's strong hold on his arm weakening. "I've liked you ever since we were really young." The older says in a voice barely above a whisper, although it escalates with every succeeding word. "Even though you rejected me before, I never once stopped liking you... but you have a stupid crush on Yuta hyung, someone who  _isn't_  me, and I'm  _really_  jealous and I  _hate_  it. So  _leave me alone_!" With that, Jeno forcefully tugs his arm from Jaemin's slackened grip and runs away, carelessly dropping some of his music sheets in the process. He doesn't look back and just leaves them. He's had plenty of time to memorize the notes by heart anyway.

The brunet is too astonished by what the older said to fully grasp what was happening. By the time Jaemin gets over his shock, the raven is already halfway through the campus grounds. He picks up the discarded music sheets, brushing some dirt off, before scanning the pages.

Jaemin doesn't run after Jeno. Instead, he walks in the opposite direction - the music sheets held delicately to his chest.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that escalated quickly ouo"  
> My writing has become crappy recently, so I'm sorry for this chapter 8_8
> 
> Anyway...
> 
> Next chapter will be an interlude, featuring younger Jaemin and Jeno. It's all mostly fluff with some angst (and we'll find out how Jeno got 'rejected'!). Hopefully it would be longer than this one, considering I want to finish the story with five chapters (and probably one bonus showcasing a side pair).
> 
> \----------
> 
> Twitter: @KookiePolicy  
> AFF: NightBreeze
> 
> Until the next update ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ


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